Two Parts Make a Soul
by DarkNyarth
Summary: When Buffy encounters a strange vampire in the cemetery, she's confronted with an equally bizarre young man that forces her to learn that the line between black and white tends to be a confusing blotch of gray.
1. Chapter 1

Two Parts Make a Soul

Buffy the Vampire Slayer Fan Fiction

Robert B. Hazelton

Disclaimer: Buffy the Vampire Slayer and all the characters common to the show or novels are property of Joss Whedon. They are used without permission for the non-profit enjoyment of fans of the series. The author makes no claims of ownership whatsoever.

Why did it always seem so damn cold in the graveyard? Was there some preternatural correlation between temperature and dead bodies? Well that was certainly an overly esoteric thought. Perhaps she had been spending too much time alone in dismal places just like the cemetery. That was her life... her _destiny _as it was so irritatingly made obvious to her time and again. Yes, the same argument was starting to get dull but so was not having a life.

The circular nature of the complaint forced a sigh from her, and she gripped the sharpened wooden stake in her left hand more tightly. How many strange things had to happen to her and her friends before it would end? Was that a fair question to ask? Could thousands of years of mischief ever be summed up by the actions of a few? If not actions, what about belief? Yeah, that was likely to happen sometime soon... After three full years of nearly constant supernatural conflict, there was little to no chance that anyone could believe things would ever be 'normal' in Sunnydale—let alone the whole world.

A sound off to the left broke her thoughts and she paused in her stride, glancing sideways at an especially dilapidated crypt. The doors were slightly ajar, chunks of the two stone pillars lying before them like offered sacrifices. Whistling through the nearby trees, the wind seemed to pick up and rustle her hair. In that moment, someone emerged from the crypt as if materializing out of the shadows.

He was taller than she was, perhaps by a full foot. That fact was made more ominous by the black tuxedo he wore for his funeral and the stunning pale features contrasted eerily with the dark of his attire and environment. His hair was neatly combed still though the make up was mostly wiped off. Fangs were present over his lower lip and his eyes burning in the feral hunger of a wild beast beneath the crinkled, angry brow of the demon that lived in his body.

Nothing about the situation should have alarmed her—it was just another vampire after all. However, something gave her pause. For one, he was walking, quite calmly, in her direction, like those movie psychos that no matter how fast you run, their leisurely stroll allowed them to get the drop on you. The sensation of wild bloodlust was there—she could _feel_ that—but the wicked calmness gave her the wiggins. Something was rotten in Denmark.

"That's a refreshing approach," She said, trying to alleviate her growing anxiety with a bit of levity. "Most of you guys like to jump around and snarl a lot. Did ya wake up on the wrong side of the coffin?"

The statement made him stop and in that moment, she found some comfort. At least he wasn't an undead automaton. She wasn't sure why that bothered her so much but it really did. Perhaps this was all becoming too routine for her. Hell, if all they had to do was change up their tactics, then she was in serious trouble. So much for 'getting used to it'.

"When I woke up," His voice surprised her. He spoke slowly and deliberately but what was unusual was the control. It was familiar, as though he was in command of more faculties than the typical vampire. "There was a brief moment of wild fury and I wanted to give into it... but something held me back..."

"Wow... A poster child for self control." Buffy prepared the stake. "So why don't ya stroll on over here and dig those teeth into something fresh? C'mon, I know you're dying for a drop."

A genuinely evil smile twisted his expression and that, even more than his 'demon face' conveyed that he was truly no longer human. "I'd be glad to." He dove forward and with a deep breath of relief, Buffy shifted gears into slayer mode.

The first few moments were paradise—not that she enjoyed violence but all that fear, all the concern and anxiety faded away. Fully in her environment, she excelled... or at least had no questions of confidence. She was good at what she did and as she blocked a punch aimed at her face and retorted with a circle kick that landed on the side of his head, she knew that perhaps destiny wasn't something that one always had to cherish to appreciate.

He pushed himself up with some effort. The blow that knocked him to the ground was the first to land home. She dodged the others and managed a few parries. How the hell was she so good? If only he wasn't newly reborn... Something inherent told him that she was dangerous—beyond the sharp pointy death clasped in her hand. Why did he know about her? Like memories flooding out of a foggy mind, he suddenly knew the woman he was fighting: she was the Slayer.

But he'd never heard of any 'Slayer' when he was alive... Of course that was before the other occupant took up shop in his body. Something else came to mind too: he shouldn't be there. In fact, his body should have been the shell for the _thing_ within him and all vestiges of his former self should have been swept away. So much for theories. What was going on? Both he and his demon side were terribly confused—a factor that weighed heavily on the conflict going on around his beleaguered thoughts. In a word, he was losing... but more accurately, he was getting his ass kicked.

She had connected with a half dozen punches to various parts of his head and chest. Those were followed by a fierce side kick that launched him from his feet and though she was obviously inflicting harm, he was too distracted to put up the appropriate fight. That was new. Usually, getting beaten on made vampires angrier but he seemed to simply get... more confused.

Buffy decided to try for a quick staking but his hands caught her wrist, the point gently teasing the tender flesh that separated her attack from his messy, dusty death. They struggled back and forth for a moment, him trying to push her back and she trying to plunge it all the way in when finally he fell backwards and vaulted her over him.

She felt weightless for just a moment, the world spinning out of control and then it all stopped when she landed face down in the grass. It didn't hurt so much as irritate her. That was a rookie mistake and she knew it. Rolling over, she was just barely in time to block a kick with her own foot, trying to injure his shin in the process. The counter attack didn't seem to faze him and he lunged downward to plant a blow to her stomach.

There was no getting out of the way in time so she prepared herself to deflect the attack as best she could. It never came. With a groan of surprise, the vampire was tossed away from her, landing on his back some twenty yards away. He stood and stared in shock then bolted off between two headstones into the night.

Buffy looked at her 'savior' with a few choice words on the tip of her tongue but stopped abruptly in surprise. He wasn't very tall, even from her vantage she could tell they'd be eye to eye on even ground. His face held a youthful innocence that spotted him at not much older than her. Dark hair was tussled and he was breathing heavily.

"Are you alright?" He asked while extending his hand to help her up.

Buffy accepted his help and hoisted herself up. "Yeah, I'm fine." She couldn't help but fit a little resentment into her tone. "Do you know what that guy was?"

"Mugger was my first thought," He said. "Though it looked like he might be trying to graduate to murderer."

"Yeah, and right now he's out there picking his classes."

His eyes fell to the sharpened stake in her hand. "You... were you trying to kill him?"

Buffy looked at the stake then back to him, blushing. "It's a really long story with a whole lot of stuff that you probably wouldn't believe but—wait a minute." She blinked. "How'd you play 'guy ball' with him anyways?"

"Pardon?"

"You really hurled him off of me. How'd you do that? It's rare to never that someone wanders by a cemetery at night in Sunnydale—rarer still that they aren't up to something. Who are you?"

"I was happening by—"He sighed and shook his head. "My name's Zachary. That story that's too long to tell? I think I'd believe more of it than you know. I'm here because of the Hell Mouth. I'm assuming you know what that is?"

"That thing must be on the brochure right next to the slogan 'highest mortality rate on the west coast'." Buffy shook her head in wonder. "What do you want with the Hell Mouth?"

"I'm... my parents sent me to help someone but..." His face crinkled in concentration. "I'm not sure who. All I know is that this place—and the Mouth itself—are the keys. How do _you_ know about this stuff? I doubt vampire slaying was the latest article in Cosmo."

"Cute," Buffy rolled her eyes. "I'm the Slayer."

"_The_ Slayer? The 'one girl in all the world' Slayer?"

"Yep. Buffy Summers at your service." She looked around again. "So what's the deal with this saving thing? I don't think you were sent to save me..."

"No, the rescue I'm here for is a little less immediate a threat. Something long term." He shrugged.

"How do you plan on going about it? How'd you throw that guy like that? What's up with your parents sending you here like that?"

"My parents—my whole family... well, it's complicated and I guess that the explanation really depends on your school of thought."

"How about the school of laymen's terms?"

"I can do magic."

"Wow, that was pretty laymen."

"That's the simplest explanation. I could get into the process of configuring reality and how to regress the consciousness to a state of perfect calm and clarity but one I don't think we have time and two it's a pretty dry subject... not to mention we're standing in a freezing graveyard and you're starting to shiver."

"Yeah, what is it with cemeteries and cold anyway? We're still in California, right?"

"I think there's some kind of supernatural connection between dead bodies and temperature." Zach shrugged as they started toward the gate. "But hey, what was with that guy you were fighting? Took me a moment to close the distance between us and he seemed pretty good. Is that how all your conflicts go?"

"Most of the time there's less me being thrown and more them being turned into a bad seventies song."

Zachary paused as they approached the gate and glanced back over his shoulder.

"What is it?" Buffy asked. Her senses were typically uncanny but she didn't hear or see anything to cause alarm.

"Nothing," He said at length. "It's just not natural. This place—it's been abused for so long."

"That's Sunnydale. Lair of vampires, demons and breasts... we run the full gamut of unnatural occurrences."

"At least you keep your humor about it."

"There's not really much choice, ya know?" Buffy shrugged. "I'm not much in the habit of discussing this kind of thing with strangers—even ones that thought they were saving my life and especially when they tell me they're here about the hell mouth on my watch."

They arrived at the gate and Zachary motioned for her to go through first. Immediately, the temperature seemed to increase back up to the balmy seventy she was accustomed to. With a sigh of relief, she turned to continue her conversation but her companion was gone—there was nothing but the ajar cast iron gate and the brooding gravestones beyond. While there were a number of explanations that she could think of right away she was more inclined to believe the obvious, Sunnydale variety: Zachary had disappeared into thin air.

The first three periods were a blur for Buffy and as she made her way toward the library, she tried to recall the details of the lectures. Unfortunately, Zachary's bizarre disappearance kept coming back to her. She had taken a quick turn back around the cemetery—a much warmer cemetery she mentally grumbled—and found nothing. There was no way he could've fled like that. He _had_ to have disappeared.

She wondered what kind of theories were going to come up about the occurrence. More pressing than that or Zachary was what happened to the Vampire. Sure, they came in all kinds but there was something inherently _different _about him—something on a supernatural level that made her worry but didn't give her answers. Those were her favorite kind of warnings; the type that were completely useless to any but a stress enthusiast looking for a fix of masochism.

The library held its typical warmth for a place she spent the majority of her free time plotting the demise of demons and trying to save the world from eternal darkness. She could smell the books before she was even half way through the lobby; a sensation that was both nostalgic and repulsive to her. What a life for a nearly eighteen year old senior.

Xander and Willow were already hanging out, the former leaning back in his chair and staring at the ceiling while the latter was absorbed in a book. Buffy paused for a moment to be thankful for her friends. In a world of the totally bizarre, she at least had a few people that she could always look to for support. As a teenager, it was rare to have such a thing at all let alone two that accepted the strangest set of life circumstances she could lay claim to.

"Hey, Buffster." Xander said without taking his attention away from whatever had his eyes glazing over.

"Hey," Buffy sat down heavily, surprised at her fatigue.

"How was patrol?" Willow asked in her 'ever peppy' tone.

Buffy shrugged. "Some bizarre-o vamp and a guy who can disappear into thin air. You know, the usual."

"Did I hear something about someone disappearing?" Giles came from his office with his 'down to business' stride, carrying a heap of text books which he deposited on the table.

"This brand new vamp came out of a crypt (one I figure he was buried in) and he was weird. There was something about him that I can't place but anyway, we fought and this guy came along and helped out."

"Did the guy know he was dealing with a blood sucker from beyond the grave?" Xander asked, tilting his head.

"Xander, I wish you wouldn't abuse the chairs with your boredom." Giles glared.

Xander dropped the chair down and lifted a hand in silent apology.

"Yeah, he did though he tried to play it off at first." Buffy shrugged. "I guess he thought I was a helpless maiden."

"Don't remind us about 'helpless maiden Buffy'." Willow said.

"You know, we could start a line of action figures." Xander said.

"Anyway," Giles tried to head off the tangent. "What happened next?"

"The vampire got away and, after a little chat the guy disappeared—of course when I wasn't looking." Buffy turned to Xander and Willow. "Why is it that if someone's going to disappear they always do it when you're not looking? They wait til your back's turned or your eyes are closed or you're in the other room and POOF!"

"Buffy," Giles sighed. "What did you talk about?"

"Sorry," Buffy shrugged. "He knew about the hell mouth. His parents sent him here to rescue someone and he said he can do magic but hey, who comes to Sunnydale without _that_ little trick anymore huh? Kind of passé if you think about it."

"Hmm." Giles sat down in though.

"Hmm is never a good word." Buffy said.

"No, it foretells of all things doom." Xander nodded ominously.

"It's a little scary that Giles can make something so simple so scary." Willow said.

"I'm sorry," Giles shook his head. "Magic could allow one to do something so dramatic as disappear but being able to do so without even making a sound would be an extraordinary accomplishment. The sorcerer would have to be incredibly skillful."

"He looked like he wasn't much older than us." Buffy shrugged. "Not that appearances mean much anymore."

"Can you think of anything else about the vampire?" Giles asked.

"He was real deliberate... you know, like one of those sound tracks that force you to lean toward the screen for that stupid cheap jump they're going to take from you?" Everyone stared at her. "What? Don't try to tell me that I'm the only one that trick fools."

"Just marveling at the comparison, Buff." Xander said but before he could extrapolate, Giles cleared his throat.

"Did he say anything?" Willow asked.

"Yeah, something about holding back the fury. I don't know," Buffy shrugged. "I was busy goading him into a fight."

"Holding back the fury?" Giles frowned. "It's obviously suspicious that a sorcerer happens to be in the park at the same time as this strange vampire. The first priority of course is making sure that no one gets hurt but we need to find a connection if it does indeed exist."

"Did you get a name or anything?" Willow asked.

"Just his first: Zachary."

"That's not going to help a search much." Willow frowned.

"Yeah, I know." Buffy shrugged. "Sue me for not thinking he was going to disappear."

"Maybe we should go stake out the cemetery again." Xander paused. "Not that I'm anxious to go hang out in a graveyard all afternoon or... that was a bad pun, wasn't it...."

"He might come here too," Willow offered. "If he's after the ol' mystical hoo ha."

"We need to know why he's interested in the hell mouth," Giles said. "Rescuing someone is too ambiguous. Unfortunately, there are too many unknown factors right now and there's not a whole lot we can do with the clues we have. I suggest that we be patient and see what happens next."

"Bah, 'be patient and see what happens next' is just another way of saying that you sanction boredom as an Olympic sport." Xander said with confidence.

"Really, Xander and do you have some brilliant insight that we should be pursuing?" Giles clearly had enough for the moment. "Or are you simply spitting out another of your perverse aphorisms spawned from too much radiation from your television set?"

"A vampire's gotta eat right? After a round with the Slayer, you know that he went looking for something juicy." Xander looked at everyone in turn. "I say we find the vampire and move on from there."

"He's got a point." Buffy shrugged. "The sooner we find the vamp, the sooner we can be sure that no one gets hurt."

"Very well," Giles nodded. "I agree with you. However, be careful. There's something larger at work here and we need more information to find out what. Report back as soon as you find anything. I'll look into the subject of teleportation and see what I can discern about our sorcerer friend."

"Right then, I suppose we should get some food—"

"There's one thing we shouldn't forget," Willow interrupted. "This sorcerer guy, he might be involved with the vamp but he did save Buffy." Everyone waited. "That means he can't be all bad... doesn't it?"

"I'm sure he's not _bad_." Buffy said. "But we don't need him to be tampering with the hell mouth and accidentally opening it."

"Yes, even the best intentions can lead to the worst results unguided." Giles looked solemn. "Either way, let's be sure that we're prepared for whatever's to come. I'll keep you posted with what I find out."

"You coming to the caf, Will?" Buffy asked as she collected herself.

"Nah, I'm going to stay and help Giles for a bit before class. I'll see you guys later."

"I really don't think he was bad, Will. I didn't get any sense of that at all."

"I know," Will gave her a weak smile. "It's just getting hard to differentiate the black from the white, that's all."

Buffy hadn't put it in those exact terms but it was true: the instances of a big bad being cut and dry were becoming few and far between. Even when there was a clear course of action, some little thing made it hard to be clear that the right thing was being done. That was the real challenge: not the slaying or the research but the choices.

And they were getting really hard.


	2. Chapter 2

Two Parts Make a Soul

Buffy the Vampire Slayer Fan Fiction

Robert B. Hazelton

Disclaimer: Buffy the Vampire Slayer and all the characters common to the show or novels are property of Joss Whedon. They are used without permission for the non-profit enjoyment of fans of the series. The author makes no claims of ownership whatsoever.

After school, Xander and Buffy made their way to the cemetery and did a quick walk through 'just in case'. Willow had read through the newspaper for any violent attacks from the night before but nothing got reported. Unfortunately, rather than being good news, it probably just meant their vamp was a clean eater. Considering it would've been his first kill, that made things somewhat more curious: why was this newly risen vampire proving to be an almost practiced villain?

"If you ask me I think the sorcerer guy and his vampire buddy are in on it together." Xander said half way through the graveyard. "Sorcerer guy sees the Buffalicious Slayer and gets his buddy to give him an 'in' to hit on you. Then, Sorcerer comes to the rescue, has a conversation... he's past the first hurdle and running."

"First off, ew." Buffy rolled her eyes at her friend. "Second off what's with you and all the Olympic analogies today? Thinking about the swim team again?"

"No, something about nearly becoming a bipedal fish man just doesn't prime the memory to flow." Xander said with a shiver.

"If what you say was true, then sorcerer guy would've stuck around and not pulled a disappearing act. I was being nice." She thought about that a moment. "In a non... threatening sort of... friendly way..."

"I know what you're talking about but seriously, maybe he was trying to find a way meet you. Maybe he knew you were the Slayer all along. Maybe that's why he had his friend attack you."

"I've noticed that any guy I talk to must be a baddy with you."

"Angel—Hello."

"That's not fair—that wasn't all his fault."

"Yeah, well forgive a little skepticism. I think it's healthy when it comes to this town and what we deal with."

"I'll agree with that at least." They walked out the other end of the cemetery and started up toward the Bronze. "This is really annoying. Why'd he have to disappear before giving me any information that would help us at all? For all we know he could be causing havoc right now trying to open the hell mouth for who knows what."

"I hope he's got a good reason to be toying with something so dangerous."

"The problem is that everyone can make up a good reason if you're just asking for their opinion on something. Whoever he's trying to save probably deserves it too."

"But there's got to be another way. If he would've asked for your help—"

"Well, he didn't so now we have to struggle to figure out what he's up to." She shook her head. "Guys can be so... thick!"

"Hey!"

"Oh, don't start playing innocent Mr. Case and point."

Xander shrugged. "As vain an attempt as that may have been, I was obligated on behalf of the male species."

The remainder of their patrol ended fruitlessly and they ended up near the cemetery as dusk started to fall. Standing near the gate, Buffy shivered as they strolled by and the cold breeze made her stop. "Hold on a sec." She said, buttoning up her jean jacket. "Do you feel that?"

"Yeah, it feels like putting your head in the freezer."

"That's how it was last night but when I walked outside the cemetery, it was normal again."

"So what are you saying? Someone's got a supernatural air conditioner going in there?"

"Xander..."

"What?" He shrugged. "What do _you_ think it is then?"

"I don't know. Last night, I asked Zachary if he noticed it and he claimed he did. I didn't pay it enough mind before but I'm starting to think it might be important now."

"Okay..." Xander thought a moment. "Are we going to do something about it?"

"Yeah, I'm going in."

"Okay, let's go."

"I said _I'm_ not we." Buffy motioned with her head. "Get back to the library and let Giles know about this. It might help his research."

"That can wait, Buff." Xander replied. "I'm not leaving you at a time like this. We can tell him together once we figure it out."

Buffy sighed but nodded. "Alright, just be careful. I have no idea what we should expect in here."

"Consider me to be your shadow, Madame."

Buffy paused on an epithet but let it go, choosing to press on into the cemetery rather than risk another barrage of cheese from Xander.

What was merely chilly the night before was downright arctic as they made their way down the path. Buffy hugged herself and picked up her pace, hurrying to keep her blood flowing. She could hear Xander shivering behind her; he was dressed even less for such weather than she was with nothing but a short sleeved shirt and baggy blue jeans.

Without thinking, Buffy drew a stake from her bag and gripped it tightly. Xander didn't fail to notice the gesture and crowded a bit closer.

"Did you hear something?" He asked quietly.

"No," She responded.

"Then why the 'vampire-be-good' stick?"

"One of those scout type groups have that motto about being prepared."

A snarling came from the left and in the blink of an eye someone leaped from the darkness toward them. Before Xander could even cry out, there was a high pitch screech followed by the soft sounds of dust striking the pavement. Buffy lowered the stake and continued along the path.

"Um... Damn?" Xander said following her. "Gotta say, Buff I'm lovin' those instincts of yours. I'm guessing that wasn't the guy we're looking for?"

"Nope, that was just another newbie." Buffy said, scanning the darkness. "But our friend's here somewhere."

"Which one?"

"I'll let ya know, Xand now if you don't mind, your yammering is sorta messin' up my Slayer mojo."

"Sorry," He whispered in a quivering voice.

Up ahead was the crypt that Buffy first encountered the vampire from the night before. The doors were still ajar and for a fleeting moment, she wondered if the groundskeepers in Sunnydale even bothered to keep the cemeteries up anymore. What a turn over rate _that_ job had to have.

Buffy stopped suddenly and pointed the stake toward a statue that acted as the center of the graveyard. Xander squinted in the darkness and shrugged. "What?" He whispered.

"The vamp's over there." She looked around. "Stay close. Keep an eye out for someone that looks normal."

Xander grabbed her arm before she could move off. "What looks normal? I mean, if a vamp doesn't vamp out he looks normal and that mantis lady looked normal before she tried to chew your head off and—"

"Xander!" Buffy turned and scowled. "You know what I mean. Sorcerer guy!"

"Right, okay." He nodded, trying to look confident. "I'm on it."

Buffy squared her shoulders and strode out to the clearing. "Hey there," She called. "Want a rematch?"

When they got closer, Xander could finally see. It was a vampire in full demon face still wearing the tuxedo he wore the night before. The creature turned and smiled. "Slayer... I didn't think you'd come back here."

"What, you think that tucking tail and running from me would scare me off?" Buffy shook her head. "No way. We're in this 'til the end."

"The world will lose another Slayer this night then."

"Ooo, melodrama. Do you have any more tricks?" Buffy dropped into a fighting stance. "Bring it on."

The vamp started toward them with that deliberate pace that made him so spooky before. Buffy didn't waver. When he got close enough, she hopped forward and threw a front snap kick. The blow landed firmly in his sternum and he was tossed back. He stumbled comically as he tried to reclaim his balance but finally surrendered to momentum and landed on the ground.

"Ouch! That had to hurt." Xander called out, moving to get out of Buffy's way.

Buffy didn't give the vampire a chance to catch its feet. She was on him in an instant, kicking him over and lifting the stake above her head to deliver the final blow. Dropping to her knees, the stake descended...

"Stop!" A voice yelled just as Buffy's fists connected with the vampire's chest. The stake was gone and though the vampire groaned, there was no dusting. For a brief moment, everything was still.

Buffy rolled backwards and got to her feet, looking around for the source of the voice. Zachary came walking up the path, dressed exactly the same as before. "You can't kill him, Buffy. You can't."

"Why not?" She said, keeping an eye on the prone killer. "He's going to hurt people, Zach."

"No," Zach shook his head. "He's confined to this graveyard—as am I. There's nothing he can do unless people come to him."

"I think I speak for both of us when I say 'huh'?" Xander chimed in.

"I'm stuck here—I'm not entirely sure how or why but I was able to use my powers to keep him here as well. He's not going anywhere until I can figure out how to stop him."

"You want to stop him? Stake him!" Xander said.

"Is that why it's so cold then?" Buffy asked, silently agreeing with Xander but wanting to understand what was going on. "Because you're exerting some kind of power over this place?"

"A side effect that I couldn't have predicted." Zach shrugged. "It seems to work but I don't know for how long. I have to get to the hell mouth somehow. I have to finish what I came here for."

"You have to save _him_?" Buffy pointed at the vampire. "Why? I don't get it."

"He's not entirely a vampire." Zach knelt beside him. "In fact, he's... well... he's me."

"Okay, I'm going to call time out on lunatic boy." Xander said. "Care to explain this turn of events?"

"I... I finally remember it all. It took me a while to get over the disorientation of what happened." Zach paused to collect his thoughts. "A few days ago, I fought a vampire near my home. I thought I was ready to handle such a thing but I was wrong. It won." He motioned to the vampire on the ground. "In retribution to my family, the creature thought it would be fun to turn me into that and send me home. Unfortunately for the vamp, it didn't realize just how powerful my parents actually were.

"They cast a spell on my body so that my spirit couldn't depart. When I became a vampire, I was still in that body. However, because the demon was so evil, I became fractured. The good part departed the bad and here I stand. Inside that body is the soul of a demon and all of the worst parts of me. The intention of course was that if I still had my soul I would be able to find the cure.

"They preserved my body and if I can just exercise the demon, then I can reenter it and be cured."

"That's why you need the hell mouth," Buffy observed. "You think that you can just cast the demon back home."

"That's the theory."

"So you're what... a ghost?" Xander asked.

"In a manner of speaking, yes. I'm one half of a whole."

"But you can't leave the cemetery." Buffy said. "How could you ever succeed at this?"

"If the laws of 'spiritualism' are in effect, then there's some item here that's keeping me imprisoned—something that I can't shake free of. If it was taken, I could follow it. It might even be the focus item I need to tear the demon out of my body. I'm sure my parents left it but I can't get into the crypt for some reason."

"Man, being a ghost sucks." Xander said, shaking his head.

"We need to secure the vampire so that we can find this item," Buffy said. "I don't really have anything to do it with..."

"So much for that 'be prepared' stuff." Xander mumbled.

"Don't worry." Zachary said. "I'll keep him occupied."

"Don't you mean you'll keep _yourself_ occupied?" Xander said with a wry grin that was met with a couple of stares that he was all too familiar with. "Sorry."

"Let's go," Buffy moved off toward the crypt. "The sooner we find this thing, the sooner we can put this one to bed... um, figuratively speaking."

"Giles," Willow asked from behind the library computer. "I did a search for newspaper clippings about the cemetery for the last couple days and apparently, another caretaker quit."

"That's hardly news, Willow those chaps have the highest turn over rate in the state."

"Yeah, I know but they usually do it after someone dies there but this time, there wasn't really any kind of reason." She shrugged. "Sometimes the normal stuff's more scary than the scary stuff."

Giles looked over her shoulder and scanned the document. "Yes, I see what you mean. I wonder if we could reach him..."

"We could call him at home. I mean, he couldn't have really had _that_ much of an opportunity to skip town yet... could he?"

"You'd be surprised what a man will do in a panic but there's no harm in trying—providing we can get his information."

"Already done." Willow smiled. "I did a search for him right before I called you over."

"Excellent work." He handed her a pen. "Get me the number and I'll ring him up."

Giles dialed the number a few moments later and blinked in surprise when it was picked up. "Hello? Is this Augustus Simmes? Yes, my name is Paul and I'm with Emmerson's quality consultants, I was wondering if I might ask you your opinion of your position at your position at the Sunnydale Cemetery." A pause. "Yes, I can appreciate that it was a strange place to work but was there anything in particular you didn't like about it? Oh? I see... No, I completely understand. Thank you very much. Got terribly cold you say? Yes, I don't know how I'd explain it either... No, I don't blame you at all. You're heading to Bermuda? Certainly, have an excellent trip. Good bye now." Giles hung up the phone and nodded to Willow.

"Good call on that." He said, walking back to the desk. "This opens the playing field up a bit. I think that the sorcerer theory is still our best bet. I'm going to venture a guess that he put up some kind of spell that's holding the vampire in the cemetery—and possibly any other souls as well. That's why we didn't hear about any attacks: the thing was stuck right there in the graveyard."

"Wow, like a binding spell for vampires? That would be handy to know."

"Yes, quite. Unfortunately, such magic would be very powerful. I wouldn't have guessed to encounter such a creature capable of it or at least, not here."

"Center of mystical convergence..." Willow reminded.

"No, you're quite right it's just that rare I suppose." Giles checked his watch. "Buffy and Xander have been gone an awfully long time without checking in."

"You know those pesky kids," Willow offered him a smile. "Always staying out too late."

"Well, in this case it's a little more than reckless. We don't know exactly what we're dealing with."

"Should we go look for them?"

"They could be anywhere and if they're not at the cemetery, going there could be part near to suicidal." Giles shook his head. "No, we need to figure out if that is indeed a bind spell, how it works, what it's limitations might be and then, perhaps we can make a few guesses as to what the purpose is."

"That's a lot of 'whats', and an ambiguous 'how'."

"Yes, but it's all we've got I'm afraid." Giles opened the first book on a large pile and started to read.

Buffy entered the crypt first and stopped dead in her tracks. Instead of the pitch black, dust encrusted tomb she expected to find, there were green and blue lights dancing about like fireflies. A red glow was emitting from the sarcophagus, despite the fact that the lid was firmly closed. Four tall cast iron candelabras stood at each corner of the coffin with candles that weren't lit.

Xander stepped in behind her and made an audible statement of awe. "It's a laser show of the third kind."

"Um, those were aliens in the third kind movie."

"Yeah, and they glowed like that too."

"The question is whether those blinkie things are going to hurt."

"'You must choose'," Xander intoned. "'But choose wisely.'"

"Thanks venerable knight," Buffy sighed and moved toward the stone coffin cautiously, watching the lights for any sudden movement. "What could they really do anyway? I mean... really?"

"Um... melt you into a pile of goo?" Xander offered.

"I'm so glad I brought you along, Xander."

"I'm here for ya, Buff."

Buffy paused and grabbed hold of the candle stand to her left and picked it up with a bit of effort. "Man, they don't make these like they used to." She placed it firmly against the lid of the coffin. "Wish me luck." With that, she heaved against it and felt the sarcophagus open easily. The stone lid slammed on the ground, breaking in half. Buffy tossed aside her proverbial 'ten foot pole' before glancing in.

A pendant of solid gold with a fist sized ruby in the center was lying where a body had recently been. The lightshow seemed to originate from the jewel and was reflecting off of broken glass within the crypt to make the alternate colors. "That's tricky."

"Sort of a built in defense mechanism?" Xander asked. "This _is_ an Indiana Jones story."

"Would you stop with the Indiana Jones stuff already?" Buffy glared back at him. "Do you think I can just grab it?"

"Why not?"

"Cause I don't want to melt to a pile of goo, that's why not." Buffy sighed. "I wish Giles was here."

"Man, they're probably getting worried about us by now."

"I'm sure they were worried an hour ago." Buffy looked toward the door. "Maybe Zachary can tell us about this thing."

"Want me to describe it to him really fast?"

"Sure, hurry up."

As Xander reached for the door a blue arc of energy snaked out and tapped his hand, tossing him to the ground with a yelp.

"Xander!" Buffy rushed to his side. "Are you alright?"

"What the _hell_ was that?" He asked meekly, nursing his hand. "That thing packed a serious shock!"

"I don't have a clue." Buffy looked at his hand. "How do you feel?"

"I'm tingling but I guess I'm okay."

"I guess we don't get to ask for help." She said grimly. "That's fine. Let's just see what happens then."

With newfound determination she got to her feet and strode over to the coffin. "Alright whoever's protecting this thing," She said, looking around. "I'm going to take it and save some people's lives now. Don't zap me or whatever... okay?"

Buffy waited several moments for a reply before taking a deep breath and grabbing the pendant.

It was ice cold at first drawing a wince from her but she wouldn't let go—couldn't let go. A surge of energy flashed through her arm, riding up and down her spine several times before finally subsiding to a dull throb in her temples. "Whoa..." Was all that she could manage as she reclaimed some sense of control and proportion.

"What happened?" Xander asked.

"I'm not sure." She looked down at him. "Whatever this thing is, it's really powerful. I can feel it pulsing... it's bizarre."

"I'd say I want a go but... I don't."

"I don't think it would let you touch it to be honest." She shook her head and motioned for the door. "I think we'll be able to leave now."

Buffy reached tentatively for the door and pushed it open looking back at Xander with a grin. "Now we're cookin' with gas. Let's get Zachary and Mr. Sweet Disposition and head on over to the library."

"I hope it's warmer there." Xander complained as he followed after her.

"A ha!" Giles slapped the book in excitement. "Yes, our binding theory is most probably true but this states that such a thing would only be possible with a binding object—like a focus or some other mystical convention, generally something both important to a person _and_ magically imbued."

"So like a charm or necklace maybe?" Willow asked.

"Most likely." Giles nodded. "Whatever did this might actually have bound _itself _to the area."

"But from what Buffy said that Vampire was just out for blood like any other. Why would it bind itself there?"

"Perhaps it did so before it 'contained its fury' or maybe it has some sort of disposition even it is not aware of. Either way, somehow, this creature is holding itself captive for some purpose."

"And I think we know what that might be," Buffy said as the doors closed behind her. "We have said item Giles and the 'creature' responsible for it."

Zachary trailed behind Xander who was carrying the legs of an unconscious man dressed in a tuxedo. "Here's our Vamp," Xander said. "Both parts of him."

"Parts?" Willow swallowed. "What do you mean by that?"

"Will, meet Zachary," Buffy gestured to Zachary who nodded a hello. "And meet his body... Zachary the vampire."

"Extraordinary." Giles said, perching on the table. "Two parts of the same whole."

"Yes, sir." Zachary nodded. "Someone with the proper training can endure such a process... though it would require the exertion would probably be too much for a normal person to survive."

"You're the sorcerer then?" Willow asked.

"Well, not _the_ sorcerer—I suppose I'd have to call my father that. I'm the reckless youth that got in over his head and landed himself in this mess." He shrugged as they set down the body. "I'm sorry that I've caused any grief."

"It's not as bad as it could be," Buffy said. "At least you didn't let him go out for a snack run."

"That would've been bad. You see, if he eats then that's how he'll stay." Zachary said. "That's why I bound him. That's also why I saved you—I didn't realize you were hunting vampires. If he would've bitten you, then any chance I had at being saved would've been lost."

"And here I thought you were just being altruistic." Buffy smiled. "What do we have to do to evict demon boy?"

"Place the medallion on his chest." Zachary looked around. "The hell mouth... It's amazing. I can feel the fluctuations of power pulsing from it. It's like the ebbing of the tide..." He closed his eyes.

"You can _feel_ it?" Giles asked. "Remarkable... How did you hone your senses like that?"

"They were honed before I was four years old." Zach said. "Sensing and feeling the power of mystical convergences is how we utilize magic. The further we are away from such hubs, the more we have to draw from within ourselves, the more chance we have of getting hurt. Standing on a hell mouth like this, I could almost do anything within the laws of magic."

"Laws of magic?" Giles asked.

"Giles, we don't have time for that." Buffy warned. "Demon?"

"Right, quite right." Giles nodded. "We'll have time to discuss this later."

Zachary dropped down to his knees by the body and clasped his hands in his lap. "This will take me several minutes." He warned. "I can't be interrupted."

"Great," Buffy looked around the room. "So what's going to happen now?"

A window shattered in the back of the library and Xander moaned. "Why'd you have to jynx us, Buffy?"

Darkness swept through the room and a shape floated through it, just a shade blacker than its background. "Whoa!" Buffy cried. "What _is_ that?"

"I have no idea!" Giles called ducking as it flew overhead. "I would imagine it's not a good thing though."

"And I thought I had the undisputed title of 'Mr. Obvious.'" Xander said, moving over to Willow. "Can you give us a light, Will?"

"I can try—"

"No!" Giles cried. "Don't! We have no idea how whatever Zachary is doing would react to an attempt to tap into your powers, Willow. Buffy, get the flashlight from the office."

"On it." Buffy kept low to the ground and had to shoulder roll to avoid contact with the thing just before reaching the door knob. She darted in and fumbled around the desk for a moment before finding the mini flashlight that barely gave off enough light to see her hand by let alone provide any sort of real illumination.

"You call this a flashlight Giles?" She asked sarcastically. "Where's the mag light you men are always so proud of?"

"It's with the weapons of course but you were closer to the office," He said in a tone that said he was offended by the comment. "Just see if the light even effects it."

"Giles, this thing wouldn't scare a cockroach."

"Maybe a small one." Xander quipped.

"Ah!" Willow cried. "It's cold!"

"It must be a manifestation of Zachary's power." Giles said. "Perhaps the solidification of the binding. My guess is that the thing that's flying around is waiting for the incantation to end at which point it'll sweep the demon back to hell."

"Just the way I wanted my evening spent—bearing witness to some perdition house cleaning."

"But won't that entail opening the hell mouth?" Xander asked.

"Yes," Giles responded, ducking again as the thing swept closer. "I'm sure it'll be a one way door."

"Isn't that a bad thing?" Willow said, moving under the desk. "I mean, how could we be sure?"

"We don't have a choice," Buffy said, ducking and weaving across the room to the weapon's locker. "Get under the desk. Let's hope we don't have world war three with the spawns of hell in the next few minutes."

The four hovered under the table and watched as Zachary continued the chant. His voice had started off soft but it continued to rise in volume until he was shouting far louder than his body should allow. The darkness became so pervasive that all they could see was the dim glow of the red gem. Silence exploded over them like a rock striking a pond. They were alone with their pounding hearts and their breathing came in short, anxious gasps.

All at once, an unearthly scream erupted from the vampire and it arced its back as if being torn apart. The lights were back on and they witnessed as the shadow creature ripped and tore at the beast within the body. Zachary had collapsed to his side and as the creature worked its violent wonders over the vampire, he occasionally convulsed.

The demon seemed to let go of the body and became a separate entity entirely. It was dark brown and wrinkled; a monstrous and hideous abomination that fought a futile battle with its captor. The struggle was entirely one-sided even as a blue glow burst from the floor and the demon's violence increased to panicked self preservation. Together, darkness and monster descended into the hole, slowly falling into screams and curses, light and violence all synchronized to sensory overload.

It was over.

A single person was lying in the middle of the floor, his chest gently rising and falling beneath the tuxedo. The twisted vampiric face that had been there moments before was now the peaceful innocence of Zachary. Buffy ventured out from under the table first, looking around in shock. Whatever he had done seemed to work but she wanted to be sure.

She pulled out her cross and tentatively touched it to his skin, giving it a good half a minute before removing it. "I can't believe it," She said. "He did it."

"Absolutely extraordinary." Giles crawled out and got to his feet. "Sorcery and training overcoming the effects of vampirism. If only he could teach that to others—to give us a chance to stop vampires from infecting victims entirely."

"You think he's alright?" Xander asked. "That looked like it took a lot out of him."

"I can't complain." Zachary said with a moan. "It's just nice to feel my heart beating again, despite the fact that it's the sole cause for this pounding in my head."

"Great job," Buffy said. "You really defied the odds."

"Thank you," He sat up with a sigh. "I owe you a great deal for helping me—and for not killing me."

"Hey, it was my pleasure—the not killing part, that's just something extra." She smiled to try and lighten up the statement. "In a way though... this makes it all the more difficult. My job that is."

"Why's that?" Zachary asked, tilting his head.

"Because we've got yet another shade of gray to contend with. If I would've killed the vampire you, you never would've been able to come back. I would've killed an innocent. I have to be more careful in the future."

"Hey," Zachary grunted as he pushed himself to his feet. "You've got a responsibility that no one should have to bear and you not only manage but you shoulder it with dignity and skill. Don't beat yourself up over the 'could've beens' or the 'should've hads'. There's plenty that will happen that you'll feel guilty about without generating more. Trust yourself. I think you've earned it."

Buffy thought about it for a moment and finally smiled at him. "Thanks," She extended her hand. "I appreciate it."

He shook her hand and returned the smile. "It's the least I could do." He took a deep breath. "Thank you all again. I really should be going. My parents will want to know this worked."

"Good luck," Giles said. "I should hope you'll visit again sometime so that we might talk."

"I'd be happy to. Farewell." Zachary waved one last time while disappearing, leaving them alone in the library. Once again, things were returned to normal.

At least, as normal as they ever got around a mystical convergence.


End file.
